WHITE PAPER: COST-SAVING LASER CLADDED ALLOYS FOR WEAR CONTROL

Laser cladding of Nickel based cermets with inclusion of Chrome or Tungsten carbides is an obvious material choice when extreme wear resistance is required often in combination with harsh service conditions in terms of temperature exposure and corrosive environment. Also laser cladded Cobalt alloys are proven performers when it comes to combining wear- and corrosion resistance. However, Nickel and Cobalt alloys can be subject to increasing cost and due to further process productivity enhancement, the material cost can become the main cost driver of the cladding product.

This paper describes the principles of wear resistance augmentation with laser cladding and next compares a default laser cladded Inconel 625 TCC with 2 types of alternatives.

The first type of alternatives concern direct cost saving and are illustrated by LCV’s “SS 55” material which is a stainless steel with a 55HRC hardness. It are more generic alloys which due to their laser cladded microstructure approximate wear resistance of a higher alloyed material.

The second type of alternatives promote total cost of ownership and are illustrated by LCV’s “Impac-10X” material which features improved abrasive and erosive wear resistance.